Electric switch mechanism



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ELECTRIC SWITCH MECHANISM Filed Jan. 26, 193

Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Henry B. Joy,

Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.

Application January 26, 1934, Serial No. 708,508

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to electric switch mechanisms.

In the manufacture of various types of electrically operated apparatus,it is sometimes found desirable to provide means for bringing three ormore electrical conductors into electrical communication with oneanother simultaneously, or simultaneously electrically connecting suchconductors in selected pairs at the will of the operator. Thus, forinstance, in constructing target throwing apparatus for use in the gameof Skeet, it is highly desirable to provide an electrical controlmechanism by means of which the target throwing apparatus may be causedto discharge a single target from a selected trap, or a target from asecond trap as desired, and to likewise occasionally effect thesimultaneous discharge of targets from two mutually facing traps.

Mechanism whereby this general object may be accomplished has heretoforebeen designed or suggested, and certain of these mechanisms haveactually been put into use. The present invention contemplates animproved mechanism of this general character which, while primarilyintended for use in connection with the target throwing apparatusemployed in the game of Skeet, is of general applicability and may beprofitably made use of in many other instances, where it is desired toemploy means which permits the operator thereof to selectively closesingly one of a plurality of circuits or to simultaneously close all ofsaid circuits.

Apparatus of this type is most conveniently operable when there is but asingle operating element to be manipulated, and in accordance with thepresent invention only one such operating member is utilized. Thismember is normally maintained in a central or non-operative position byresilient means and is so mounted as to be movable in a plurality ofdirections or to a plurality of positions. In the form of the mechanismselected for disclosure by way of example, such member is mounted foruniversal movement and is movable in three directions about its pivotalsupport, closing one switch when moved in one direction, a second switchwhen moved in a second direction, and closing both switchessimultaneously when moved in the third direction. Upon release of themember either or both of the switches which have been closed thereby areautomatically opened and the member returned to its initiallynon-operative position.

In accordance with the invention, a greater number than two switches maybe operated singly or in unison if desired by the single operatingmember, and the method of mounting and operating this member may beconsiderably modified to suit various operating conditions.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the switch mechanism selected for disclosure;

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the switch carrying members;

Figures 7, 8, and 9 are diagrammatic views showing the switch carryingmembers and the switches carried thereby in various positions; and

Figure 10 is a diagram showing the circuits through the switchmechanism.

The switch mechanism is shown to be mounted upon a block of wood orinsulating material I0 which, in the embodiment of the inventionselected for illustration, is intended to be supported in a horizontalplane. To one edge of the base block IE is secured a flat verticalmember or front plate H, also of insulating material. Other portions ofthe enclosing casing are not shown, but it will be understood that theapparatus hereinafter to be specificially described may be suitablyenclosed in any desired manner.

Mounted centrally of block l0 upon the upper surface thereof is a frame12 preferably formed of metal by casting, this frame carrying theoperating parts of the mechanism. Thus the frame includes upwardlyprojecting pedestal members l3 and M, and supported in aligned aperturesformed in these members is a shaft l5 of small diameter. Shaft l5 alsoextends through aligned apertures formed in switch supports l6 and I!which are adapted to rock about this shaft as an axis. Switch supportsit and I! are elongated flat members, which members are provided, atopposite ends thereof respectively, with elements it and H to which theupper ends of the coil tension springs l8 and I9 are secured, the lowerends of these springs being fastened at 20 and 2! to the bottom memberor horizontal portion of the frame 12. The springs I8 and i9 tend,respectively, to pull switch supports i6 and H downwardly, and to limitthis downward movement of each such switch supporting member, in onedirection, a shoulder is provided on the frame, these shoulders beingindicated at 12 and i3 respectively. By the cooperation of the springsand frame shoulders the embodiment of just described, the switchsupports are normally maintained in a horizontal position as shown inFigures 2 and 3.

Projecting downwardly from each switch support at a point closelyadjacent the axis I5 is an extension, rockably mounted, these extensionsbeing indicated at it and H respectively, the extensions being generallyparallel when plates l6 and ii are in normal position, and the lowerportions thereof having mutually facing surfaces I6 and H6 While thelower portions of these surfaces are normally in parallelism as shown inFigure 4, the upper portions converge upwardly as shown in this figureand in reality comprise cam surfaces. The switch operating member isindicated at 25, this member being disposed in a generally horizontalposition and being mounted for rocking movement in a vertical plane uponthe pin 26, the ends of which are supported in the parallel upwardlyextending pedestals of supporting member 21 which is in turn mounted forfree rotation about a vertical axis, a downwardly extending cylindricalpin 21 integral with this member being rotatably received within asimilarly formed cylindrical aperture in the bottom member of the framel2. Operating member 25 projects through a T-shaped slot in front plateH and is preferably provided at its outer end with a handle portion 25.Its inner end lies between the extensions I6 and I1 of the switchsupports l6 and IT, as shown in Figure 4 i of the drawing.

Mounted upon the tops of the switch supports it and I! in any suitablemanner are the mercoids or liquid contact switches 30 and 3!, thesemercoids being of well-known construction and both being normallypositioned with their axes substantially horizontal, preferably slightlyinclined to the horizontal so that the small body of mercury in each isremote from the switch terminals when the supports are in normalposition. The switch terminals of mercoid 3B are indicated at 3H and 3Band those of mercoid 3i at 3! and 32 It will be observed from Figure 10that switch terminal 30 is electrically connected to switch terminal 3i.In addition a conductor 32 is connected to switch terminal 39, aconductor 33 to switch terminal 30 and a conductor 3 to switch terminal3l Conveniently, conductors 32, 33, and 34 may lead to binding posts orwire clamps 35, 35, and 31, respectively, to which'binding posts furtherwires or conductors, not shown, may be connected.

From an inspection of Figure 10, it will be clear that when mercoid 39is tilted, conductors 32 and 33-will be connected together electrically;that when mercoid 3! is tilted, conductors 33 and 34 will be connectedtogether electrically; and that when both mercoids are tiltedsimultaneously, the three conductors 32, 33, and 35 will beinterconnected electrically.

The operation of the mercoids selectively or simultaneously is broughtabout by suitable manipulation of the operating member 25 which, whenmoved to the right in the T-slot shown in Figure 3, will operate mercoid38 by acting against extension I6 of switch support !6. This position ofthe operating member of mercoid 3D is indicated in Figure '7. When thehandle of the operating member is pressed to the left (Figure 3),mercoid 35 will be operated in a similarmanner, the second switchsupport being tilted While the first remains stationary as before. Whenthe operating lever is pushed vertically downward, its inner end ridesupwardly between the downward extensions of the switch supports and actssimultaneously upon the inclined cam surfaces of both suchextensions,.as indicated in Figure 9, both mercoids being tilted and thethree conductors 32, 33, and 3e being simultaneously connected together.7

As soon as the operating member is released from any one of itsoperative positions, it is immediately returned to the neutral position,as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the springs I8 and i9 being effective forthis purpose, acting through 10 the respective downward extensions ofthe switch supports. After a manipulation of the operating member, whichresults in simultaneous actuation of the switch supports and release ofthe member, springs l3 and I9 act simultaneously to 15 restore theoperating member to its first position, this member being squeezeddownwardly by the coacting mutually facing cam' surfaces formed on thedownward extensions of the switch supports.

It will thus be seen that the foregoing mechanism provides a verysimple, inexpensive, but thoroughly effective means for selectivelyconnecting together either of two pairs of conductors or forsimultaneously connecting together 25 electrically all of theconductors. Naturally, in adapting the principles of the invention inthe solution of various problems, the design and arrangement of thecomponent elements of the invention may be considerably modified, andthat embodiment of the invention which is illustrated is set forth byway of example only. If desired, a greater number of mercoids may beprovided and a greater number of electrical conductors incorporated inthe mechanism so that, by the 35 manipulation of a single operatingmember, more than three such conductors may be simultaneously connectedwhile at the same time the mechanism permits electrical connection ofpairs of the conductors together as desired. 40

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is: r

1. Electric switch mechanism comprising a frame, two switch actuatingmembers mounted;45 upon the frame for tilting movement, a switchassociated with each such member and adapted to be opened and closedbythe tilting movements thereof, resilient means normally maintaining saidmembers in such positions that the switches; are open, an element foroperating said members, means supporting said element on the frame insuch manner that it may be moved to tilt either member singly or bothmembers in unison against the action of said resilient means, saidmembers: having oppositely facing relatively inclined surfaces both ofwhich lie in one path of movement of said element, simultaneous tiltingof said members being effected when said element is moved along saidpath to engage and laterally 60 displace said surfaces. 7

2. Electric switch mechanism comprising a frame, two independentlyoperable switch actuating members, each mounted on the frame for tiltingmovement, a switch associated with each 65 r tioned to be simultaneouslyslidably engaged by said element when said element is moved in onedirection to effect simultaneous tilting of said members, the saidsurfaces being so relatively inclined as to cooperate in returning saidelement to a neutral position when said element is released and theresilient means acts to return said members to their original positions.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which said members aremounted to rock about a common axis and the relatively inclinedoppositely facing surfaces are disposed substantially radially to saidaxis.

4. Electric switch mechanism including a frame, two switch operatingmembers having oppositely facing relatively inclined surfaces, meanssupporting the said members upon the frame for limited movementsrelatively thereto, respectively, an operating element, means supportingsaid element upon the frame in such manner that it may be moved to pressnormally against either of said surfaces and to actuate thecorresponding member, or may be moved to simultaneously press againstboth such surfaces to simultaneously actuate both members, and meansnormally HENRY B. JOY.

